What IS the average Chihuahua lifespan?

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I've been looking online and see anywhere from up to 10 - 16 years being listed, but what age range is really about average? 10 sounds awfully young for such a small breed, assuming they are born without serious medical problems.

I think that's about right, though I'd go up 14-18 is fairly common, with quite a few reaching into their 20s as long as they are well cared for. 12 is the average across all dog lifespans. Chis are a fairly healthy breed with a wider genetic pool than most purebreds.

what hurts the Chi lifespan is that they often come to grief trough carelesness or tragedy. They are fearless, and lots of them find themselves in fights they can't win, like with big dogs, cars, and hawks.

Thank you both! I ask because it's possible we may be rescuing a Chi who isn't being cared for excercise and very much attention wise by the owner (not out of cruelty but because she is elderly and doesn't have all her faculties). Apparently the Chihuahua in question spends most of the day tethered in the kitchen. But it's still up in the air, since first they have to convince them to surrender the dog. We're thinking since my fiance is family she will let him have her.

The reason for the extreme variance is that being so small they are more prone to certain medical disorders, accidents, and when they do get sick it's much more dangerous.

My first roommate rescued Chis. She lost one at about 9 years old to pyometria (she was allergic to anesthetic and so unspayed). The dog was slightly "off" for a day and a half, when my roommate came home from work to take her to the vet she had already passed. Ember, even at a starved 28lbs survived with pyo for an unknown length of time. I've heard similar stories with kennel cough turning to pneumonia and such.

Other medical disorders usually show from birth or slightly after. One of the other rescued Chis has severe spinal issues and was going to be euthanized for aggression. She just needed to NOT be picked up and treated like an accessory, because it hurt. Between that and joint management she's fine now, but I suspect she won't live as long for her physical problems.

She also has a 15-year-old Chi rescued from a hoarding situation who is physically sound enough that he actually runs flyball. I'm not even kidding. He doesn't weigh enough to trigger the box - we're still working on that issue - and it's about a 20 second run, but he runs all 4 jumps, grabs the ball off the box, and takes it back over all 4 jumps. It's hysterical; I love watching him run.